Poner conjugation

Poner means "to put". Here it is in every main tense, with real example sentences and a free checker for your own.

Meaningto put

Type-er verb

Gerundponiendo

Past participlepuesto

Poner changes form (an irregular, stem-changing or spelling-changing form) in the present, preterite, future, conditional and present subjunctive. Juntos teaches Latin American Spanish, where ustedes replaces vosotros; the vosotros forms are shown for completeness.

Quick answer. Present: pongo, pones, pone, ponemos, ponen. Preterite: puse, pusiste, puso, pusimos, pusieron. All tenses below.

Poner conjugation tables

Jump to: present · preterite · imperfect · future · conditional · present subjunctive · present perfect · commands (imperative)

Poner in the present

what happens now or usually

yo	pongo
tú	pones
él / ella / usted	pone
nosotros	ponemos
vosotros (Spain)	ponéis
ellos / ustedes	ponen

Poner in the preterite

a finished action at a specific time

yo	puse
tú	pusiste
él / ella / usted	puso
nosotros	pusimos
vosotros (Spain)	pusisteis
ellos / ustedes	pusieron

Poner in the imperfect

habits, descriptions and background in the past

yo	ponía
tú	ponías
él / ella / usted	ponía
nosotros	poníamos
vosotros (Spain)	poníais
ellos / ustedes	ponían

Poner in the future

what will happen

yo	pondré
tú	pondrás
él / ella / usted	pondrá
nosotros	pondremos
vosotros (Spain)	pondréis
ellos / ustedes	pondrán

Poner in the conditional

what would happen

yo	pondría
tú	pondrías
él / ella / usted	pondría
nosotros	pondríamos
vosotros (Spain)	pondríais
ellos / ustedes	pondrían

Poner in the present subjunctive

after wishes, doubts and requests (quiero que…)

yo	ponga
tú	pongas
él / ella / usted	ponga
nosotros	pongamos
vosotros (Spain)	pongáis
ellos / ustedes	pongan

Poner in the present perfect

what has happened, up to now (he comido)

yo	he puesto
tú	has puesto
él / ella / usted	ha puesto
nosotros	hemos puesto
vosotros (Spain)	habéis puesto
ellos / ustedes	han puesto

Poner in the commands (imperative)

telling someone to do something (habla, no hables)

tú	pon
tú (no)	no pongas
usted	ponga
nosotros	pongamos
vosotros (Spain)	poned
ustedes	pongan

Poner in real sentences

Example sentences from the Juntos exercise bank, each checked before learners see it.

Present

Pongo las llaves en la mesa.
I put the keys on the table.
¿Dónde pones el café?
Where do you keep the coffee?

Preterite

Puse la leche en el refri.
I put the milk in the fridge.
¿Dónde pusiste mi celular?
Where did you put my phone?

Imperfect

Mi mamá siempre ponía música los domingos.
My mum always used to play music on Sundays.
Poníamos la mesa mientras ellos cocinaban.
We were setting the table while they cooked.

Mistakes learners make with poner

The yo present is pongo, with a g. The preterite stem is pus-, with no written accents: puse, puso, pusieron.
Ponerse + an adjective is "to get" or "to become": me pongo nervioso. Ponerse with clothes is putting them on: me pongo la chaqueta.
The past participle is puesto: he puesto la mesa, not he ponido. The tú command is pon.

Write your own sentence with poner

Not sure which past tense to use? The Spanish past tense course explains preterite vs imperfect with practice. Conjugate any other verb with the free Spanish conjugator, browse all 72 verb pages, or check any text with the free Spanish grammar checker.

Related verbs

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to be (identity, traits)
tener conjugation
to have
hacer conjugation
to do / to make
poder conjugation
to be able to (can)
querer conjugation
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saber conjugation
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ver conjugation
to see / to watch
haber conjugation
there to be / to have (auxiliary)

Use poner in real conversation

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Questions people ask

Is poner irregular in Spanish?

Yes. Poner is irregular in most tenses: the present, preterite, future, conditional and present subjunctive all change form, so it's worth learning by heart.

What is the preterite of poner?

Yo puse, tú pusiste, él/ella puso, nosotros pusimos, ellos/ustedes pusieron.

How do you conjugate poner in the present?

Yo pongo, tú pones, él/ella pone, nosotros ponemos, ellos/ustedes ponen.

What is the future of poner?

Yo pondré, tú pondrás, él/ella pondrá, nosotros pondremos, ellos/ustedes pondrán.

What is the present subjunctive of poner?

Que yo ponga, que tú pongas, que él/ella ponga, que nosotros pongamos, que ellos/ustedes pongan.